Tuesday Trends and Indexes 04/29

[pm530]

Trends and Indexes
Tuesday, April 29

Good Luck on day #120 of 2008!

NOTE:
As information becomes available, we will attempt to post the trends and indexes as soon as possible.
Information is posted from what we believe are reliable sources.
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[pm530]

Six-pack for Tuesday

-- How about the Atlanta Hawks? Down 10 in 4th quarter, a young Hawks team rallied to beat Boston, tying series 2-2.

-- I am big A's fan, but was pessimistic heading into season; right now, they're 17-10, in first place in AL West. Go figure.

-- Frank Thomas hit his first triple since 2002 in his first AB Monday night; A's got a huge bargain with the Big Hurt.

-- Orioles, White Sox had their game suspended in the 12th inning, with score tied at 3. Orioles had taken lead in 11th on a HR by Hernandez, but Uribe's tater tied it in bottom of 11th

-- Tensions are high this early in season: Clint Hurdle got run in first inning Monday, for arguing balk call; Mike Butcher, Angels' pitching coach, got tossed in third inning Monday.

-- Kind of ironic that Stan Van Gundy won his first playoff series with Orlando the same day Pat Riley quit in Miami.

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Tuesday's List of 13: Rounding the bases in the NL.........

Diamondbacks— 3.04 team ERA thru Sunday is 0.59 better than anyone else in league; they've allowed 17 unearned runs, most in the NL. They have to keep Orlando Hudson healthy; watching lot of their games on TV, you get sense he is the glue that holds young infield together.

Braves— First in NL in batting average, second in ERA, but only 12-13; converted just four of seven save opportunities and have major health issues in rotation. Glavine is on DL, Hampton is always on DL, and this weekend at Shea, Hudson threw three innings, Smoltz four. Not good.

Cubs— Hitting .280 as team, second in NL in on-base %age (.003 behind Cards), runs scored (three behind Arizona), walks (20 behind Cards). Also have 20 steals. Cub pitchers have hit 12 batters, most in league. Fukudome has been as good as advertised, hitting .326 with an on-base % of .424.

Reds— Cincinnati pitchers struck out 206 hitters, 11 more than anyone in NL: they’ve given up 32 homers (second to Astros’ (33)) and are meager 3-3 in saves. They need to get Dunn on a roll; he’s hit 40-40-40 homers last three years, but right now is hitting .just .208, but does have a .392 on-base %age.

Rockies— Got off to slow start last year too, but at 10-15, they are finding out it is harder to be the hunted than the hunter. They’re 13th in NL in runs scored, 10th in homers, dismal 5-11 in saves; they’ve already switched closers back from Corpas to Fuentes. Tulowitzki got off to dreadful start, is hitting .155.

Marlins— 15-10 despite being outscored 117-114, and drawing 3rd-fewest walks in NL; they’re 6th in NL in batting average, but second in slugging percentage. Florida has 11th-best ERA in league, but are riding lefties Hendrickson (4-1, 3.68), Olsen (3-0, 2.06) to strong start atop NL East.

Astros— Play in small ballpark (pitchers allowed NL-high 33 HRs) but are second in NL in steals, 14th in on-base %age; they brought Michael Bourn in to be leadoff man/CF, but was hitting just .195, with .283 OB%, heading into Monday. Won six in a row last week, but are still sitting at 12-14.

Dodgers— Russell Martin, Andruw Jones both got off to slow starts with bat; Martin has gotten hot last few days, Jones is still hitting just .159, with 29 strikeouts in 82 AB. LA won six of last seven home games, but is 3-8 on road. Emergence of 3B DeWitt negates yet another trip to DL for Garciaparra. Need a fifth starting pitcher.

Brewers— Putting Hall back in the infield hasn’t hurt defense (allowed league-low two unearned runs); C Kendall is hitting .308, after doing little with bat in three years with A's. Gagne has been kerosene out of bullpen that has blown six of 16 save chances. 14-11 despite hitting just .240 as a team. Kapler is hitting .288; he was a managing in freakin’ Class A last year.

Metropolitans— Moody team has gotten huge contribution from Nelson Figueroa, who has all five vowels in his name, but hadn’t won big league game since ’04. Catching situation is a horror; Casanova was 4th-string in Tampa LY. Stole Church from Nationals; tremendous trade by Minaya, making up for trading Bannister to Royals for Burgos.

Phillies— Rollins, Victorino have both been on DL, so team has just 10 steals, 12th in NL; Howard is hitting just .174 with 11 RBI, but they’re still tied for third in league in runs scored. Have given up 95 walks, 16 unearned runs; not really sure how they’ve won more than they’ve lost (14-12).

Pirates— 5.44 team ERA, allowing 273 hits in 230 IP; part of reason for this is they’re a dismal defensive team- balls that slick fielders catch hit the ground at PNC. On bright side, they are 6-6 in save opportunities, Nate McLouth has been super, hitting .333, which included 22-game hitting streak.

Cardinals— Received 64 more walks than they’ve given out (133-69), big reason why they’re 16-11 and surprise leader in NL Central. Took Kyle Lohse off scrap heap (yes, Texas, you could have had him); he is 3-0, 2.36 in six starts. .370 on-base percentage is best in NL; they're fifth in league in runs scored.

Padres— Hitting .225 as team, tied for last in runs scored with team OB% a hideous .297. Scored three or less runs in 11 of last 15 games. Just 4-11 in save chances, Padres have strong pitching in part because they play at Petco, but even Peavy, Young , Maddux need some runs to win.

Giants— Barry Zito has been horrible (0-6, 7.53), but Lincecum is awesome (4-0, 1.23); pitchers have 2nd-most strikeouts (195) in NL. Team is hitting just .241 with .299 OB%, but their home park is pitcher-friendly. Slowly getting some younger guys in lineup; Bowker, Velez look like keepers.

Nationals—Hitting .229 as team, with hideous .334 slugging percentage and league-low six steals, so this is a team with little power and less speed. Starting pitching hasn’t been bad (Lannan, Perez have been very good) but bullpen has blown six of ten save chances. Nice new ballpark, but why did they trade Ryan Church?

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[pm530]

Major League Baseball – Write up

MLB
Write-up


Tuesday, April 29

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Hot Pitchers
-- Padres won three of last four Maddux starts.
-- Santana is 2-0, 3.21 in his last couple starts. Pirates won four of Snell's five starts this season.
-- Glavine has 3.17 RA in three starts; he is coming off DL here.
-- Dodgers are 4-1 in Lowe starts (2-1, 3.38).
-- Brewers are 4-0 in Sheets starts (3-0, 0.96). Marquis is 1-0, 2.50 in his last three starts.
-- Pineiro has 2.70 RA in his last couple starts.
-- Cassel won his first '08 start, allowing three runs in five IP.
-- Cook is 3-0, 3.00 in his last three starts. Lincecum is 3-0, 1.07 in four starts this season.

-- Silva is 2-0, 2.57 in his last three starts. Carmona is 3-1, 3.21 in five starts this season.
-- Hammel is 2-0, 4.50 in his last couple starts.
-- Floyd is 2-0, 3.55 in four starts this season.
-- Angels are 5-0 in Saunders starts (4-0, 2.57). Oakland is 4-0 in Smith starts (2-0, 3.60).

Cold Pitchers
-- Hamels is 0-2, 6.43 in his last couple starts.
-- Redding has 7.65 RA in his last four starts.
-- Miller has 8.34 RA in five starts this season.
-- Cueto is 0-2, 5.65 in his last three starts.
-- Gonzalez has 5.66 RA in his last three starts.

-- Rogers is 1-3, 8.03 in five starts this season. Hughes is 0-3 in his last four starts, with a 10.95 RA.
-- Olson makes first '08 start; he was 1-3, 7.79 in seven starts last season.
-- Lester is 0-1, 6.43 in his last four starts. Halladay is 0-2, 4.76 in his last couple starts.
-- Tomko is 0-2, 4.85 in his last couple starts. Jennings is 0-3 in his last four starts, with a 7.53 RA.
-- Twins are 1-4 in Bonser starts, scoring total of seven runs.

Hot Teams
-- Phillies won six of their last eight games.
-- Mets won five of last six home games.
-- Marlins won six of last nine home games. Dodgers were 5-2 last weke, but are 1-7 in last eight home games.
-- Cubs won five in row, nine of last ten at home.
-- Reds won four of their last five road games; they scored 24 runs in their last three games.
-- Astros won six of their last nine games. Diamondbacks won 10 of their 12 games at at home.

-- Tigers won five of their last seven games. Bronx won three of last four home games.
-- Orioles won nine of last twelve home games. Rays won six in a row overall, allowing total of 15 runs.
-- White Sox won three of their last four games.
-- Oakland won eight of its last ten games. Angels are 7-4 in last eleven games.

Cold Teams
-- Padres lost ten of last twelve games.
-- Pirates lost nine of their last twelve games.
-- Braves are 4-9 on road this season. Washington is 1-5 in the game after its last six wins.
-- Brewers lost three of their last four games.
-- Cardinals are 4-6 in their last ten games.
-- Astros lost last three games, scoring total of seven runs.
-- Giants are 0-3 in second game of home series, if they won the opener. Rockies are 1-8 in their last nine games.

-- Indians lost last two games, scoring total of two runs. Seattle lost four of its last five games.
-- Red Sox lost last five games, scoring one run last two games. Toronto lost six of their last seven games.
-- Royals lost five of their last six road games. Rangers are 2-8 in their last ten games.
-- Twins lost four of their last five games.

Totals
-- Six of last nine Philadelphia games stayed under the total.
-- Ten of last fourteen Pirate games went over the total. Nine of last thirteen Met games stayed under.
-- Last three Washington games stayed under the total.
-- Four of last five Florida home games stayed under total. Over is 5-1-1 in last seven Dodger games.
-- Last four Cub games stayed under the total.
-- Over is 6-2 in Reds' last eight road games.
-- Over is 11-5-1 in last seventeen Arizona games.
-- Over is 12-6 in last eighteen Colorado games.

-- Four of last five Indian games stayed under the total.
-- Six of nine Bronx home games stayed under the total.
-- Under is 7-2 in last nine Baltimore home games.
-- Six of last eight Boston home games went over total.
-- Last five Texas home games went over the total.
-- Last four Minnesota games all went over the total.
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six Angel home games.

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[pm530]

MLB


Tuesday, April 29

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Trend Sheet
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7:05 PM DETROIT vs. NY YANKEES
Detroit is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
Detroit is 6-12 SU in its last 18 games on the road
NY Yankees are 19-6 SU in their last 25 games when playing at home against Detroit
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of NY Yankees's last 23 games


7:05 PM SAN DIEGO vs. PHILADELPHIA
San Diego is 7-16 SU in its last 23 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Diego's last 6 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia's last 6 games at home
Philadelphia is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games


7:05 PM SEATTLE vs. CLEVELAND
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Seattle's last 12 games when playing Cleveland
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Seattle's last 7 games on the road
Cleveland is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games at home
Cleveland is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games


7:05 PM TAMPA BAY vs. BALTIMORE
Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
Tampa Bay is 4-10 SU in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Baltimore
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Baltimore's last 10 games
Baltimore is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games at home


7:05 PM TORONTO vs. BOSTON
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Toronto's last 8 games when playing on the road against Boston
Toronto is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston
Boston is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston's last 5 games at home


7:10 PM ATLANTA vs. WASHINGTON
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing on the road against Washington
Atlanta is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Washington is 5-10 SU in its last 15 games when playing Atlanta
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Washington's last 7 games when playing Atlanta


7:10 PM LA DODGERS vs. FLORIDA
LA Dodgers are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games when playing Florida
The total has gone OVER in 4 of LA Dodgers's last 6 games when playing Florida
Florida is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Florida's last 6 games


7:10 PM PITTSBURGH vs. NY METS
Pittsburgh is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Pittsburgh's last 8 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of NY Mets's last 13 games
NY Mets are 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home


8:05 PM KANSAS CITY vs. TEXAS
Kansas City is 2-8 SU in its last 10 games
The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Kansas City's last 24 games
Texas is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Kansas City
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Texas's last 6 games when playing at home against Kansas City


8:05 PM MILWAUKEE vs. CHI CUBS
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Milwaukee's last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee's last 6 games on the road
Chi Cubs are 10-4 SU in their last 14 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chi Cubs's last 7 games


8:10 PM CHI WHITE SOX vs. MINNESOTA
Chi White Sox are 7-3 SU in their last 10 games when playing Minnesota
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games when playing Minnesota
Minnesota is 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing at home against Chi White Sox
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Minnesota's last 6 games when playing at home against Chi White Sox


8:15 PM CINCINNATI vs. ST. LOUIS
Cincinnati is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Cincinnati's last 5 games when playing St. Louis
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of St. Louis's last 5 games
St. Louis is 10-5 SU in its last 15 games at home


9:40 PM HOUSTON vs. ARIZONA
Houston is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Houston's last 5 games
Arizona is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Houston
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona's last 5 games when playing at home against Houston


10:05 PM OAKLAND vs. LA ANGELS
Oakland is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oakland's last 7 games on the road
LA Angels are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Angels's last 6 games when playing Oakland


10:15 PM COLORADO vs. SAN FRANCISCO
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Colorado's last 6 games when playing on the road against San Francisco
Colorado is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games
San Francisco is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 7 of San Francisco's last 10 games at home

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Long Sheet

NBA
Long Sheet

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Tuesday, April 29
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PHILADELPHIA (42 - 44) at DETROIT (61 - 25) - 4/29/2008, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 8-7 against the spread versus PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 10-5 straight up against PHILADELPHIA over the last 3 seasons
9 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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DALLAS (52 - 34) at NEW ORLEANS (59 - 27) - 4/29/2008, 7:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
NEW ORLEANS is 8-7 against the spread versus DALLAS over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 11-5 straight up against NEW ORLEANS over the last 3 seasons
9 of 15 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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UTAH (57 - 29) at HOUSTON (56 - 30) - 4/29/2008, 9:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
HOUSTON is 48-35 ATS (+9.5 Units) in all games this season.
HOUSTON is 26-12 ATS (+12.8 Units) second half of the season this season.
UTAH is 47-38 ATS (+5.2 Units) in all games this season.
UTAH is 24-15 ATS (+7.5 Units) second half of the season this season.
UTAH is 28-13 ATS (+13.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
UTAH is 19-5 ATS (+13.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season this season.
HOUSTON is 53-73 ATS (-27.3 Units) in home games over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 0-7 ATS (-7.7 Units) in home games after scoring 85 points or less this season.
HOUSTON is 21-36 ATS (-18.6 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
HOUSTON is 20-38 ATS (-21.8 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
UTAH is 12-8 against the spread versus HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
UTAH is 14-7 straight up against HOUSTON over the last 3 seasons
11 of 20 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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PHOENIX (56 - 30) at SAN ANTONIO (59 - 27) - 4/29/2008, 9:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 54-40 ATS (+10.0 Units) in home games over the last 2 seasons.
SAN ANTONIO is 97-62 ATS (+28.8 Units) on Tuesday nights since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 51-29 ATS (+19.1 Units) in home games after a loss by 10 points or more since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 204-162 ATS (+25.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record - 2nd half of the season since 1996.
SAN ANTONIO is 15-7 ATS (+7.3 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 99+ points/game this season.
SAN ANTONIO is 31-17 ATS (+12.3 Units) in home games versus good offensive teams - scoring 99+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 52-38 ATS (+10.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 11-9 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 13-8 straight up against PHOENIX over the last 3 seasons
12 of 21 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Short Sheet

NBA
Short Sheet

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Tuesday, April 29th
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Eastern Conference
Opening Round
Game Five
Series Tied, 2-2
Philadelphia at Detroit, 7:05 ET

Philadelphia:
13-5 Under after playing a game as a home underdog
12-7 Under off home loss

Detroit:
28-19 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5 points
29-19 ATS off a ATS win

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Western Conference
Opening Round
Game Five
New Orleans Leads, 3-1
Dallas at New Orleans, 7:05 ET

Dallas:
12-4 Over as an underdog
1-5 ATS on Tuesdays

New Orleans:
24-14 ATS off DD win
22-5 ATS off 5 straight games w/ 14 or less turnovers

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Western Conference
Opening Round
Game Five
Utah Leads, 3-1
Utah at Houston, 9:35 ET

Utah:
25-16 ATS off an Under
24-13 Under off ATS loss

Houston:
0-8 ATS at home off road ATS win/SU loss
0-7 ATS at home after scoring 85 points or less

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Western Conference
Opening Round
Game Five
San Antonio Leads, 3-1
Phoenix at San Antonio, 9:35 ET

Phoenix:
5-1 Over when the total is between 190 and 199.5 points
15-5 Over as a road underdog of 3.5 to 6 points

San Antonio:
12-23 ATS off road loss
37-18 Under off SU loss

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association – Write up

NBA
Write-up


Tuesday, April 29

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NBA Games

Pistons evened series 2-2 with 93-84 win at Philly in Game 4, as Prince made 11-12 shots, and Pistons rallied from 46-36 deficit at the half. Detroit forced 19 turnovers. Detroit scored 105-93 in its two wins, 86-75 in losses. Pistons led by 13-18 points at the half in two series games at home, but blew Game 1, 90-86.

Hornets can send Dallas home early with win here; they swept first two home games in series, 104-92/127-103, outscoring the Mavs by 24-8 points in second half. Mavs shot just 36% in the Game 4 loss, while Hornets made half their shots, and turned it over only nine times. Dallas had 38-13 edge in FTs tried in its only series win; other three games, FTs taken were 93-72.

Jazz won both games in Houston in this series, 93-82/90-84, as Rockets shot 10-41 from arc in those two games- they're 23-79 from arc for whole series. Utah won the game Saturday, 86-82, despite going 0-14 from arc (they were 24-31 at charity stripe). Visitor won three of four games so far in series.

Suns finally woke up in Game 4, scoring 65 points in first half, as they got 27 points from Bell, 20 from Diaw; those guys make Suns roll- they made 9-20 from arc, by far best they've done in series from there. Now they need to win in arena where they've had double digit leads in Game 1-2, but couldn't finish the job.

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[pm530]

NBA


Tuesday, April 29

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Trend Sheet
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7:00 PM DALLAS vs. NEW ORLEANS
Dallas is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
Dallas is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing on the road against New Orleans
New Orleans is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
New Orleans is 15-6 SU in its last 21 games


7:00 PM PHILADELPHIA vs. DETROIT
Philadelphia is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Philadelphia is 4-14 SU in its last 18 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Detroit is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games
Detroit is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games


9:30 PM PHOENIX vs. SAN ANTONIO
Phoenix is 16-8 SU in its last 24 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Phoenix's last 6 games
San Antonio is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Phoenix
San Antonio is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Phoenix


9:30 PM UTAH vs. HOUSTON
Utah is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Houston
Utah is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Houston
Houston is 8-4 ATS in its last 12 games
Houston is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games

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[pm530]

National Basketball Association - Tips & Trends

NBA


Tuesday, April 29

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Tips and Trends
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Dallas Mavericks at New Orleans Hornets [TNT | 7 PM ET]

Mavs: A season’s worth of inconsistency reared its head Sunday night when the Mavericks could least afford to see it. Needing another complete effort to forge a series tie, it just wasn’t there. The Mavs were the aggressors early, and controlled the first quarter (much like in Game 3), but the Hornets balanced offense was not too much. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry have carried this team, as Josh Howard and Jason Kidd had virtually no impact in that Game 4 loss. The two-man show hasn’t been enough in New Orleans this season as Dallas is 0-4 SU and ATS playing in the Big Easy.

Mavs are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games overall.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 96

New Orleans (-6, O/U 193): The Hornets ended a 10-year losing streak in Dallas and put themselves in position to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs since moving to New Orleans five seasons ago. New Orleans was led by Chris Paul, David West and Peja Stojakovic who combined for 59 points out of the 97 total points in the Game 4 victory. The Hornets are gunning for win number 4 tonight, and though they are 12-2 SU and ATS in their last 14 home games. head coach Byron Scott said “It’s not going to be easy.”

Home team is 7-1 ATS in the last 8 meetings.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 102 (OVER - Total Play of the Day)



Philadelphia 76ers at Detroit Pistons [NBA | 7:00 PM ET]

76ers: The 76ers thought they were in good shape, up 2-1 in the series and leading by 10 points at halftime of Game 4 against the Pistons. However, they couldn’t keep it going once the Pistons turned it on in the second half. “They took it from us,” said guard Rodney Carney. “There was nothing we could do about it.” The 76ers know they are up against it, just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall, but have pointed to their Game 1 road win and claim the series isn’t over.

76ers are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 road games.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 85

Pistons (-9, O/U 178): Detroit regained home-court advantage in Game 4 with a 93-82 victory and have evened the series at 2-2. The Pistons were down by 10-points at halftime, but stormed back to take control in the third by outscoring the 76ers 34-16. According to team insiders the Pistons “Flipped the switch” and will do so again here in Game 5. The last time Detroit decided to turn it on at the Palace resulted in a 105-88 blowout win in Game 2 of this series.

The UNDER is 8-2 in the Pistons' last 10 games as a favorite.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 95



Utah Jazz at Houston Rockets [NBA | 9:30 PM ET]

Jazz: The Jazz couldn’t land a knockout punch the entire second half of Saturday’s 86-82 victory, but they will be returning to Houston with a 3-1 lead in this first-round series. The Jazz coaching staff is reportedly looking at closing this series out tonight, as they want to be fresh for the conference semifinals. Utah might be below .500 on the road this season, but have big wins against these Rockets, Mavs, and Hornets in the last couple of weeks away from Salt Lake.

Jazz are 9-3 ATS in the last 12 meetings.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 90

Rockets (-2, O/U 182): There were so many times that the Rockets seemed defeated, only to have them come back. Houston cut a Utah 16-point second half deficit down to one, but fell short in a 86-82 loss in Game 4. Even with the comeback the Rockets offense was beaten badly, held to 37 percent shooting, and Tracy McGrady made only 9 of 25 shots - including one basket in the fourth quarter. The Rockets bounced back with an 18-point victory over the Clippers the last time they returned home from a loss in Utah – and coach Rick Adleman said his team “Will battle.”

Rockets are 27-12-1 ATS in their last 40 games overall.

Key Injuries - G Tracy McGrady (22 ppg; knee) is expected to play.

PROJECTED SCORE: 92



Phoenix Suns at San Antonio Spurs [TNT | 9:30 PM ET]

Suns: No team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit in NBA playoff history. But thanks to a huge 105-86 victory in Game 4 the Suns have cut the series lead to 1-3. Phoenix overcame that exact series deficit just two years ago against the Lakers. The Suns are 3-0 in Game 4s against the Spurs in their last three playoff meetings, but a combined 1-9 other than that. Team insiders said the team will focus on those 16 and 14 points leads that where lost in the first two games of the serious as motivation for tonight.

The Underdog is 6-2 ATS in the last 8 meetings.

Key Injuries - F Grant Hill (13 ppg; groin) will not start.

PROJECTED SCORE: 95

Spurs (-5, O/U 197.5): San Antonio may have gotten blown-out Game 4 in Phoenix, but it did give one of the older teams in the league extra time off. Greg Popovich played no starter more than 29 minutes, throwing in the towel early in what amounted to a throwaway game. The Spurs are an amazing 36-7 SU at home, and haven’t lost back-to-back contests in more than 6 weeks. San Antonio reportedly had a relaxing Monday and have been at their best covering the number when given that one day off: 26-21-2 ATS compared to 13-24 with other rest.

Spurs are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 home games.

Key Injuries - NONE

PROJECTED SCORE: 102 (Side Play of the Day)

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[pm530]

National Hockey League – Long Sheet

NHL
Long Sheet


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Tuesday, April 29

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PITTSBURGH (53-27-0-8, 114 pts.) at NY RANGERS (46-29-0-14, 106 pts.) - 4/29/2008, 7:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
NY RANGERS are 10-1 ATS (+8.5 Units) in home games after scoring 1 goal or less in their previous game this season.
NY RANGERS are 16-7 ATS (+7.5 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
PITTSBURGH is 53-35 ATS (+9.2 Units) in all games this season.
PITTSBURGH is 33-17 ATS (+11.6 Units) second half of the season this season.
PITTSBURGH is 9-3 ATS (+12.2 Units) on Tuesday nights this season.
PITTSBURGH is 24-17 ATS (+5.8 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
PITTSBURGH is 26-18 ATS (+54.7 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season over the last 2 seasons.
NY RANGERS are 46-43 ATS (+1.3 Units) in all games this season.
NY RANGERS are 10-12 ATS (-6.5 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
NY RANGERS are 111-132 ATS (-87.0 Units) in home games second half of the season since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 3-8 ATS (-8.0 Units) on Tuesday nights this season.
NY RANGERS are 66-79 ATS (-43.0 Units) in home games vs. division opponents since 1996.
NY RANGERS are 69-85 ATS (-59.0 Units) in home games after a division game since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
PITTSBURGH is 13-13 (+2.4 Units) against the spread versus NY RANGERS over the last 3 seasons
NY RANGERS is 13-13-0 straight up against PITTSBURGH over the last 3 seasons
16 of 25 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Under=+5.9 Units)

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SAN JOSE (53-27-0-11, 117 pts.) at DALLAS (51-32-0-7, 109 pts.) - 4/29/2008, 7:35 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SAN JOSE is 16-18 ATS (-11.2 Units) vs. division opponents this season.
SAN JOSE is 15-18 ATS (-12.9 Units) after a division game this season.
SAN JOSE is 15-18 ATS (-11.0 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent this season.
DALLAS is 46-26 ATS (+8.4 Units) vs. division opponents over the last 2 seasons.
DALLAS is 24-16 ATS (+2.2 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record this season.
DALLAS is 16-8 ATS (+24.9 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record in the second half of the season this season.
SAN JOSE is 20-12 ATS (+6.8 Units) in a road game where where the total is 5 or less this season.
SAN JOSE is 74-46 ATS (+23.8 Units) in April games since 1996.
SAN JOSE is 112-125 ATS (+275.2 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1996.
DALLAS is 60-56 ATS (-59.3 Units) in home games after a 3 game unbeaten streak since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 15-11 (+5.6 Units) against the spread versus SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 15-11-0 straight up against SAN JOSE over the last 3 seasons
12 of 22 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.4 Units)

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DETROIT (60-23-0-7, 127 pts.) at COLORADO (48-33-0-9, 105 pts.) - 4/29/2008, 10:05 PM
Top Trends for this game.
DETROIT is 61-66 ATS (-42.3 Units) on Tuesday nights since 1996.
COLORADO is 28-11 ATS (+14.4 Units) on Tuesday nights over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 34-14 ATS (+15.2 Units) when playing with 2 days rest over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 45-39 ATS (-2.3 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
DETROIT is 30-9 ATS (+13.1 Units) after a win by 2 goals or more this season.
DETROIT is 79-43 ATS (+15.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
COLORADO is 105-100 ATS (-59.2 Units) in a home game where where the total is 5 or less since 1996.

Head-to-Head Series History
DETROIT is 12-2 (+9.1 Units) against the spread versus COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
DETROIT is 12-2-0 straight up against COLORADO over the last 3 seasons
8 of 14 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons . (Over=+1.4 Units)

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[pm530]

National Hockey League - Short Sheet

NHL
Short Sheet


Tuesday, April 29th

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Second Round
Game Three
Pitsburgh leads, 2-0
Pittsburgh at NY Rangers, 7:05 ET

Pittsburgh:
4-12 SU off division win
3-9 SU at NY Rangers

NY Rangers:
10-1 SU at home after scoring 1 goal or less
8-1 Over revenging shutout loss

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Second Round
Game Two
Dallas Leads, 1-0
San Jose at Dallas, 7:35 ET

San Jose:
8-0 SU off home loss by 3+ goals
9-3 SU Away off BB division losses

Dallas:
22-11 Over vs. division
6-10 SU at home off road win scoring 4+ goals

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Second Round
Game Three
Detroit Leads, 2-0
Detroit at Colorado, 10:05 ET

Detroit:
21-5 SU off BB Overs
44-15 SU off a win

Colorado:
2-12 SU vs. Detroit
6-0 Under after allowing 4+ goals BB games

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[pm530]

National Hockey League – Write up

NHL
Write-up


Tuesday, April 29

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2008 NHL playoffs

Penguins are 6-0 in playoffs so far, winning two road games in first round at Ottawa, 4-1/3-1; Pens allowed four goals in Game 1 win in this series, rallying from 3-0 deficit- in their other wins, they allowed total of five goals. Rangers were 0-6 on in Game 2 on power play, failing to score in 11:28 with man advantage.

Dallas won both games in San Jose, have chance to put Sharks away here, but this is strange series where San Jose is 6-3 in its last nine visits to Texas. Underdog is 12-4 in last sixteen series games. Sharks are 1-9 on power play in series, scoring once in a combined 15:02 with man edge. Stars scored four goals in third period in Game 2, erasing 2-1 Shark lead to grab 2-0 series lead.

Avalanche lost 4-3/5-1 in first two series games; they are 0-6 vs Red Wings this season, 2-11 in last 13 overall; they scored total of four goals in last five games vs Detroit. Shots on goal in this series are 76-41 Detroit. Colorado is 0-8 on power play, scoring no goals in 13:14 with man advantage.

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[pm530]

NHL


Tuesday, April 29

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Trend Sheet
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7:00 PM PITTSBURGH vs. NY RANGERS
Pittsburgh is 0-5 SU in their last 5 games when playing on the road against NY Rangers
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in their last 6 games when playing NY Rangers
The total has gone OVER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 5 games
NY Rangers are 9-4 SU in their last 13 games at home


7:30 PM SAN JOSE vs. DALLAS
San Jose is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose's last 7 games when playing on the road against Dallas
Dallas is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Dallas is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing San Jose


10:00 PM DETROIT vs. COLORADO
Detroit is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Colorado
Detroit is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Colorado is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Detroit
Colorado is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home

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[pm530]

National Hockey League - Gameday

NHL
Gameday


Tuesday, April 29

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Gameday
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Tuesday NHL Gameday

Joe Sakic and the Colorado Avalanche will be looking to get back into their series on Tuesday when they play host to the Detroit Red Wings. Here's your NHL Gameday . . .

Pittsburgh Penguins at New York Rangers, 7:00pm ET

The Penguins swept the Senators in the first round of the playoffs, and they have yet to taste defeat in the second round against the division-rival Rangers. Pittsburgh began their set against New York last Friday night with a 5-4 comeback victory. The Pens were down 3-0 midway through that contest, but they stormed back and got the eventual game winner from Evgeni Malkin late in the third period. Game 2 on Sunday afternoon was a tighter affair, as Pens forward Jordan Staal scored the first goal of the contest 13 minutes into the second period. Adam Hall then iced the 2-0 win for Pittsburgh with an empty-net goal in the third period. Marc-Andre Fleury made 26 saves for the shutout for the Penguins, while Henrik Lundqvist stopped 30 of 31 shots between the pipes in the defeat for New York. Pens forward Gary Roberts sat out Sunday's win with a sore groin.

San Jose Sharks at Dallas Stars, 7:30pm ET

The Stars were the road underdog in Game 1 of their second-round series against the Sharks on Friday night, but Brenden Morrow's overtime goal gave them a 3-2 win. Morrow and Mike Modano scored for Dallas in regulation time, while Marty Turco made 25 saves. Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo had the goals for San Jose, and Evgeni Nabokov stopped just 15 of 18 Dallas shots. Nabokov had some trouble in Game 2 on Sunday night as well, as he surrendered three third-period goals in a 5-2 defeat. Niklas Hagman picked up two goals for the Stars in that win (one into an empty net), while Modano, Brad Richards, and Mike Ribeiro had the other markers. Michalek and Joe Pavelski scored for the Sharks, who had a 2-1 lead heading into the third period. Turco made 29 saves in the win, and Stars defenseman Sergei Zubov finally returned from injury. Sharks d-man Kyle McLaren is out indefinitely with a groin injury.

Detroit Red Wings at Colorado Avalanche, 10:00pm ET

If the Avalanche are going to knock off the Red Wings in Game 3 they're going to have to get better goaltending from Jose Theodore. The netminder gave up four goals on 16 shots back in Game 1 before leaving with an illness, and he surrendered four more goals on 20 shots in Game 2 on Saturday. In the opener Johan Franzen scored twice and Henrik Zetterberg and Daniel Cleary added singles in a 4-3 win, with Chris Osgood stopping 18 of 21 Colorado shots. Franzen continued his heroics in Game 2, netting a hat trick to lead his team to an easy 5-1 victory. Zetterberg and Valtteri Filppula also scored for the Wings on that night, while Osgood made 19 saves. Avs forward Peter Forsberg (groin) and defenseman Scott Hannan (lower body) both missed Game 2 due to injury, and they have been listed as questionable for Game 3. Wings forward Kirk Maltby has been suffering from a hamstring injury and is questionable to play as well.

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